This week we’re going to take a quick review of how you are doing with caring for the three components of your life as a human being: body, soul, and spirit. We’ve made it through the first month of 2017, and while many may have made resolutions, and some of us made new commitments, it’s always good to check and see where we stand with them. After all, the unexamined life is not worth living. As leaders, self-care or self-leadership is one of the most important aspects of our leadership, if not the most important.
Let’s start with the area that’s often the easiest to gauge from a standpoint of progress: our bodies. Did you set any goals for taking care of yourself physically? If so, was it a weight goal, an exercise goal, a commitment to rest more, to eat better? Did you write the goals or plans down, and if you have how often do you look at them? I ask all these questions, because as I stand at the brink of 60 years of living, I’ve finally realized that while may favorite quote about the importance of examining our lives is true, equally important is recording our progress or lack thereof, so we may move forward after our examinations.
I set a number of goals for myself in the physical area. Back in late August, 2016 I committed to lose 32 pounds by the end of January, which would mean I would weigh 190. I also set the goal of eating Paleo 90% of the time (if you’re not sure what that means, it’s a “hunter-gatherer” diet, consisting of vegetables, fruit and meat.) I set an exercise goal of six days of exercise each week, consisting of 20-30 minute workouts I set the goal of sleeping 7-8 hours each night and to taking a 20 minute nap each afternoon. Those goals were quite specific and somewhat ambitious. I share them with you, simply as an example of specific goals in the physical area, which if followed would have led me to a healthier, more effective life overall.
At the end of January I weight 189 pounds. I am eating Paleo about 85% of the time. I’ve exercised an average of 5 days per week according to the standards I set, have slept a little less than seven hours each night, and have taken a nap on average 5 days each week. The result of accomplishing the goals to the degree I have is my energy level is higher than it’s been in a long time, and my overall sense of well-being is also high. Little things, such as tying my shoes, are much easier now than they were back in August, too.
Did you set any goals at the start of the year, or perhaps last year? Have you looked at them recently? Have you hit your targets or are you on your way to hitting them? If you have hit a target, is your goal to maintain in that area or to reach a new one? These are vital questions, and even more vital is committing to attain them, because when our bodies are functioning effectively our leadership is better.
I understand that some of us have ailments, which make the kind of goals I mention above unrealistic, but most of us have far more control over our physical well-being than we exercise. Wherever we are today, we will lead more effectively as we set and work toward accomplishing goals in the physical area of our lives, because our bodies impact our overall performance as leaders far more than we often realize.
Here’s to leading better, by taking the time to reflect on our physical well-being, the goals we established to become healthier, and then adjusting and acting on the results of that reflection-today!